Devices for binding conductors



March 8, 1966 osAMU ARA! DEVICES FOR BINDING CONDUCTORS 'Filed July.1963 F ig.

Fig. 2 /I @e INVENTQR Osamu HRR! 67:@0/ r'l- United States Patent O3,238,580 DEVICES FOR BINDING CONDUCTORS Osamu Arai, Hitachi-shi, Japan,assignor to Hitachi, Ltd., Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan, a corporation ofJapan Filed July 8, 1963, Ser. No. 293,417 4 Claims. (Cl. 24-16) Thisinvention relates to devices for binding conductors for wiring use andparticularly to those used in arranging conductors in order as on theback of switchboards.

In arranging conductors on the back of switchboards, it has beencustomary to bind conductors with hemp cords or vinyl tapes or withbands having a buckle of specialized form.

Any of the previous binding procedures has involved a `substantialamount of labor and has made it troublesome or difficult to unbind theconductors for their rearrangement.

The present invention has for its object to provide a device for bindingconductors which is simple in structure and operation, effective, andreadily releasable to unbind the conductors as when required for theirrearrangement.

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference tothe accompanying drawing, which illustrates one preferred embodiment ofthe invention and in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the binding strap used in the embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional View taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the I-shaped buckle;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the device in use; 'and FIG. 5 is aplan view illustrating the manner in which the binding strap is insertedin the buckle.

Referring to the drawing, the device illustrated is basically comprisedof a binding strap 1 formed along the medial line thereof with a row oflongitudinally spaced apart through apertures or slots 2 and a generallyI-shaped buckle 3 incuding a media web portion and top and bottom flangeportions formed integral with said web portion at its opposite ends andrecessed as at 4 and 5 to receive the opposite edge portions of thebinding strap 1 on the respective sides of the web portion. The webportion has a button-like formation 6 projecting therefrom substantiallyat right angles to the general plane of the buckle 3 and having alaterally enlarged head to engage the opposite end portions of the strap1.

The binding strap 1 is preferably formed of a tough and resilientsynthetic resin material such as nylon, and the buckle 3 is preferablyformed of a relatively hard and readily moldable synthetic resin such aspolystyrol.

The strap 1 is formed on one side with beads extending along theopposite longitudinal edges thereof and is preferably bulged at least onthat side between the beaded edges as clearly shown in FIG. 2 forpurposes of strengthening the strap and of further ensuring theengagement of the enlarged head portion of the button-like formation 6on the buckle with the slots 2 in the strap.

In use of the present device for binding conductors, at the first oneend portion of the binding strap 1 is passed through one side of thebuckle 3 with the beaded edges of the strap received in the opposingrecesses 4 and 5 yso that one of the slots 2 in the strap end is engagedby the enlarged head of the button-like formation 6 formed on thebuckle. Then, the other end portion of the strap 1 is passed through theanother side of the buckle with the bead edges received in the opposingrecesses 4 and 5 to bind together conductors 7 (FIG. 4). This end of theICC strap 1 is then firmly drawn in the direction indicated by the arrowin FIG. 4 to bind together the conductors fully tightly. When the strap1 is subsequently released, it assumes a position as indicated in solidlines under its own resiliency so that another slot 2 in the strap isfirmly engaged by the button-like formation 6 formed on the buckle 3 toprevent any unintentional loosening of the binding strap. At this point,any excessive length of the strap 1 may be severed olf to complete thebinding procedure. When it is desired to release the device forrearrangement of the conductors, it is only required to bend one end ofthe strap 1, for example as illustrated by the dotted lines in FIG. 4,to disengage the slot 2 from the button 6. After this, the operator canpull out the strap end portion downwardly through the opposing recesses4 and 5 without effort to release the conductors.

As described hereinbefore, the recesses 4 and 5 are formed only in thetop and bottom flange portions of the buckle. This is advantageous fromthe standpoint of the operation eiliciency in that the major portion ofthe elongate binding strap may be passed aslant through the buckle asillustrated in FIG. 5 and then fitted in the recesses 4 and 5 at anappropriate later time.

Having described and shown one preferred embodiment of the invention, itis to be understood that it is not to be restricted to the details setforth, but many changes yand modifications may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for binding conductors comprising a combination of a bindingstrap formed on one side with beads extending along the oppositelongitudinal edges thereof and having a row of spaced apart slots formedalong the medial line of the strap and a generally I-shaped buckleincluding a medial web portion and top and bottom flange portions formedintegral with said web portion at its opposite ends and recessed insideto receive the respective beaded edges of said binding strap on eachside of said web portion, said web portion lhaving a button-likeformation projecting therefrom substantially at right angles to thegeneral plane of the I-shaped buckle and including a laterally enlargedhead to engage with two of said slots in the respective end portions ofsaid binding strap as brought together in use.

2. A device for binding conductors comprising in combination a bucklehaving a pair of spaced, substantially U-shaped flange portions, a webportion interconnecting said flange portions to form a generallyI-shaped body member, projection means secured to said web portion andextending essentially transverse to the plane of said body member on oneside thereof, said projection means including a pair of hook members atthe free end thereof and a binding strap formed on one side thereof Withbeads extending along the opposite longitudinal edges thereof and havinga row of spaced slots formed along the medial line of the strap, saidslots being dimensioned to accommodate said hook members, a portion ofsaid strap being positioned within the flange portions on each side ofsaid web portion whereby the hook members on said projection means areengaged within said slots.

3. A device for binding conductors comprising in combination a bucklehaving a pair `of spaced, substantially U-shaped flange portions, a webportion interconnecting said llange portions to form a generallyI-shaped body member, projection means secured to said web portion andextending essentially transverse to the plane of said body member on oneside thereof, said projection means including a pair of hook members atthe free end thereof and a binding strap formed on one side thereof withbeads extending along the opposite longitudinal edges thereof and havinga row of spaced slots formed along the medial line of the strap, saidslots being dimensioned to accommodate said hook members, the center ofsaid strap between the beaded edges on said one side being bulgedoutwardly while the other side of said strap is essentially at, aportion of said strap being positioned within the flange portions oneach side of said web portion whereby the hook members on saidprojection means are engaged Within said slots.

4. A device for binding conductors comprising in combination a bucklehaving a substantially I-shaped body member having a pair of spacedparallel end flanges and a central interconnecting web portion, hookmembers having a generally crescent-shaped cross section integral withthe free ends of each of said end anges, and laterally enlarged headmeans secured to said web portion on one side thereof and extendingessentially transverse to the plane of said body member, and a bindingstrap formed on one side thereof with beads extending along the oppositelongitudinal edges thereof and having a row of spaced slots formed alongthe medial line of the strap, said beads being dimensioned to the sizeof said hook members, the width of said strap being essentially equal tothe length of said web portion, a portion of said strap being positionedwithin the end flanges on each side of said web portion whereby the hookmembers on said projection means are engaged Within said slots.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 266,023 10/1882Edney 24-176 2,354,485 6/ 1944 Slaughter. 2,642,641 6/1953 Van Buren24-198 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,212,605 10/ 1959 France.

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

DONLEY I. STOCKING, Examiner.

1. A DEVICE FRO BINDING CONDUCTORS COMPRISING A COMBINATION OF A BINDINGSTRAP FORMED ON ONE SIDE WITH BEADS EXTENDING ALONG THE OPPOSITELONGITUDINAL EDGES THEREOF AND HAVING A ROW OF SPACED APART SLOTS FORMEDALONG THE MEDIAL LINE OF THE STRAP AND A GENERALLY I-SHAPED BUCKLEINCLUDING A MEDIAL WEB PORTION AND TOP AND BOTTOM FLANGE PORTIONS FORMEDINTEGRAL WITH SAID WEB PORTION AT ITS OPPOSITE ENDS AND RECESSED INSIDETO RECEIVE THE RESPECTIVE BEADED EDGES OF SAID BINDING STRAP ON EACHSIDE OF SAID WEB PORTION, SAID WEB PORTION HAVING A BUTTON-LIKEFORMATION PROJECTING THEREFROM SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THEGENERAL PLANE OF THE I-SHAPED BUCKLE AND INCLUDING A LATERALLY ENLARGEDHEAD TO ENGAGE WITH TWO OF SAID SLOTS IN THE RESPECTIVE END PORTIONS OFSAID BINDING STRAP AS BROUGHT TOGETHER IN USE.